


is it raining with you?

by emotionalpanda



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: F/F, Lesbian Emily Prentiss, Mostly Fluff, Ratatouille (2007) References, Umbrellas, jj is single and doesnt have kids, these ladies are overthinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-04
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-17 02:26:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29834595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emotionalpanda/pseuds/emotionalpanda
Summary: “Hey Em, how did you know that you liked women?” JJ asks her one day.
Relationships: Jennifer "JJ" Jareau/Emily Prentiss
Comments: 9
Kudos: 79





	is it raining with you?

**Author's Note:**

> i watched all of criminal minds in like 2 months and now here i am! jemily hours 24/7

“Hey Em, how did you know that you liked women?” JJ asks her one day, hand resting under her chin. The question comes out of nowhere. Emily can’t read JJ’s face, despite her years of profiling experience. Why this question? Why this question now? 

“Why do you ask?” Emily responds, trying to keep her tone as neutral as possible. Her heart has picked up its pace, the thud of its beat starting to match the beat of some cheesy pop song she heard on the radio this morning. 

Emily can’t tell if that’s a blush on JJ’s face or if the lighting in the building always makes cheeks look pinker than they should be. Emily decides it’s probably the lighting. There’s no reason JJ would be blushing right now. 

JJ looks like she’s going to answer, but Hotch strides in with a stack of papers before JJ can say anything. 

“We have a case. Three bodies were found in Seattle this morning. We’ll debrief on the jet. Wheels up in ten.” 

Hotch gives them all a firm nod before rushing off to his office. 

Emily shakes her head, “Seattle? Maybe I need to add an umbrella to my go-bag. Last time, I came back to the hotel looking like a drowned rat…”

JJ gives her an amused grin, “It wasn’t that bad. Your mascara didn’t even run. A drowned rat that doubles as a supermodel, maybe. Live action Ratatouille sequel?” 

“You’re having too much fun with this.”

“Anyway, Em. Don’t worry. I have an umbrella in my go-bag. You’re welcome to share if we get poured on.” 

“Thank you.” 

JJ is so nice. So so nice. Sometimes it startles Emily. She’s not used to people being nice just for the sake of being nice. There’s always a catch, something they want in return. Kindness comes with conditions. That’s the rule Emily’s mom taught her. That rule never seems to apply to JJ. JJ gives and gives and gives, never keeping score. She could probably be canonized a saint. If Emily were the Pope, that would be her first order of business. 

+

It takes the team two days to solve the case. Emily is thankful for that. Two days is pretty short for them, relatively speaking. The bodies had been dropped outside, strewn about the city streets like human-shaped sidewalks. The team snuck up on the Unsub in his basement and cuffed him before he could react. 

Somehow, the weather stays completely dry the entire time, not even a drop of rain. Emily finds it funny how disappointed she feels about that lack of precipitation. It’s almost like she was wishing for it to pour. 

When the team boards the jet, JJ plops herself down in the seat across from Emily. JJ chews her lip, lost in thought while looking out at the grey skies surrounding the runway. She seems… nervous?

“Jayje, what’s up? You brainstorming ideas for a third Ratatouille movie, or what?” Emily jokes awkwardly, reaching her hand out to pat JJ’s knee in order to get her attention. 

JJ turns to look at Emily and gives her a small smile. Amusement paints her lips but her eyes remain clouded by thought. There’s something JJ’s not saying, but Emily can’t put her finger on what it is exactly. 

JJ lets out a sigh, gently shakes her head, then stares down at her hands and twiddles her thumbs. 

“What I asked you the other day…” JJ starts, “I’m sorry if I was being weird. I know you don’t really like people prying into your personal life…”

“I mean, you’re right. I don’t like _most_ people prying into my personal life, but you’re not most people, Jayje. You’re you. I trust you.” Emily shrugs at the confession, resisting the urge to bite her fingernails from her sudden nervousness. She doesn’t go around telling people that she trusts them often. There’s very few people that match that criteria, and admitting it makes her feel vulnerable. 

“Oh…” JJ replies, perking up. She locks eyes with Emily. “That’s… That’s nice. Thank you, Em. That means a lot.” 

Emily gets up from her seat and sits down next to JJ. She reaches over to give JJ’s hand a reassuring squeeze and nudges JJ’s arm with her shoulder affectionately.

Emily lowers her voice to a whisper for the sake of privacy. The other team members are probably out of earshot, focused on chess games or reading books or whatever other bored-on-a-jet activity they get up to, but she wants to be careful with the subject matter just in case. Emily knows (too well) how uncomfortable it can be for someone to hear something when you’re not ready for them to hear it. 

“Did you want to talk about it? I’m here for you, you know, if you need me.”

JJ nods at this before resting her head in the crook of Emily’s neck. “I know,” she says, then closes her eyes, “I just don’t want to deal with it just yet. Could you…” JJ trails off.

“Anything you need, Jajye.”

“Come over tonight? We could order pizza? I have wine. I don’t know. I want to talk but I don’t want to talk here, if that makes sense.”

“Of course.” 

The thought of going over to JJ’s sends a shiver through Emily’s spine. Is it weird to be excited? Emily likes JJ. She has liked her since day one! But, can you blame her? JJ’s like that one hint of sun on a frigid day in February; Emily wants to spend as much time with her as possible and watch her own heart slowly defrost. 

Emily doesn’t want to take advantage of JJ’s confusion. Figuring yourself out is hard! Emily doesn’t want to make it harder by being selfish in her desires. If JJ likes women, good for her! It doesn’t mean that JJ will automatically be in love with Emily. That’s wishful thinking. JJ needs a friend right now, not someone who zones out staring at her tits. _Keep it together, Prentiss. Be cool._

+

When they return to Quantico, Emily suggests that the two of them take one car back to JJ’s instead of driving separately. Emily says it’s for environmental reasons, but that’s partially a lie. She cares about the environment, sure, but she really just wants to sing along to the car radio with JJ and she can’t do that if they’re in different cars.

A breeze picks up, shuffling leaves across the nearly empty parking lot. As soon as Emily steps into the passenger seat of JJ’s car and closes the door, the sky opens up. Rain pounds the windshield like a shower with too-strong water pressure. 

“Uh oh,” JJ comments, “We lucked out on that one, didn’t we? Three seconds later and you would’ve been drenched.” 

Emily fake-swoons (though she doesn’t have to try hard to fake it) and dramatically clutches her chest as she turns to JJ. “Wow, Jennifer Jareau… my hero… my knight in shining armor…”

JJ just laughs and starts the car.

It’s still pouring when they pull into her place. Emily frowns at the wet pavement from the safety of her seat. Before she can even open her door, JJ is opening it for her with a polka dot patterned umbrella opened up in her hand. 

“Your majesty…” JJ jokes as she holds the umbrella out so Emily can escape the car unscathed. 

Emily gives JJ a playful eye roll.

The umbrella is small for two people, forcing Emily to link arms with JJ underneath it. Emily is close enough to smell the perfume that JJ sprays near her neck. If she lets herself focus on the scent for too long, she will probably end up stumbling into a puddle. 

+

“God, I forgot how good pizza is,” Emily moans into her second slice. 

“Pizza is the only food group that matters, I think,” JJ responds in between bites.

They’re drinking a decent Merlot out of some small paper cups JJ found in a cabinet. Somehow, the paper cups make the shared beverage feel more intimate. There’s no pretending to be fancy, no pretending to be someone who loves to clean glassware. They’re just Emily and JJ.

“So…” Emily clears her throat, “Women. Thoughts?” 

JJ takes a sip, “Women… they exist.” She shrugs.

“You asked me how I knew that I liked women? Well, there’s a story there if you want to hear it.”

“I do,” JJ replies.

“So,” Emily starts, “I’m fifteen years old and in high school, right? In a real goth phase. I’ve shown you the pictures. The eye makeup, the chokers, the black lipstick, all of it. I did all of it. Well, one day I’m in math class and feeling mad at the world. I checked my bag and I didn’t have a pencil. No pen. Not even a single marker. This beautiful popular girl next to me notices my rage and my lack of writing tools, taps me on the shoulder, and hands me a pencil with a glittery hot pink eraser cap. She tells me to keep it and pats my hand. It was like all the anger in me disappeared when she touched me. It was the only thing I could think about. I started liking math class after that, and her pencil became my favorite pencil to use for anything. I think I still have it in my apartment somewhere, as weird as that sounds…” 

“You still have the pencil?” JJ asks.

Emily laughs, “I still have the pencil!”

JJ pokes her in the arm, “Who knew Emily Prentiss was such a sap?” 

“You caught me.”

JJ smiles and takes a big gulp of her wine before changing the subject. “Well I asked you that question because I was thinking that I _might_ have a crush on a woman. I don’t know.”

Emily’s stomach sinks. JJ has a crush? Who is lucky enough to have JJ crush on her? Emily quickly wipes away any trace of disappointment to focus on her friend. 

“Well, how do you feel around this woman?” Emily asks. 

By now, the two have moved to sitting on the couch, full from their feast. 

“Um, I feel… like I’ve had too much caffeine? But, that I’ve also slept the best sleep I’ve ever slept. Uh, I feel warm, but not like overheated warm, more like standing next to an oven full of baking cookies warm? I just feel like I want to spend as much time with her as possible and listen to her talk about anything. She could read the phone book out loud to me and I wouldn’t get bored.”

“That sounds pretty gay to me, Jayje.” 

JJ slowly nods her head, seemingly avoiding eye contact, “Well… I guess I’m a little gay then. Okay.”

“Welcome to the club?” Emily jokes.

JJ holds up her cup to bump it against Emily’s, “Cheers to that! I think… I think I’m happy to be here.”

“Here as in the Liking Women club or here as in spending time with me?” Emily asks.

JJ turns to look Emily in the eye, “Both. Definitely both.”

+

JJ insists that Emily stays the night due to their mutual tipsiness and the ongoing storm outside. Emily borrows a pair of JJ’s sweats to sleep in and soon enough, the two are fast asleep in JJ’s queen sized bed. 

It’s the middle of the night when Emily wakes up and turns over to find JJ also awake and looking at her. 

“JJ?” Emily whispers, “What’s up? Why are you awake--” 

Before Emily can even finish her question, JJ blurts out, “How weird is it if I ask to kiss you?”

Emily’s jaw drops. Did she imagine that? Is she still dreaming? There’s no way she heard that right. She’s stunned into silence.

JJ takes this silence as rejection and quickly recovers, “Okay, yeah it would be weird. Never mind! Forget I said anything. It’s cool, really. Don’t worry about it.” 

“Wait,” Emily interrupts, reaching out to caress JJ’s hair, “I don’t think it would be weird. I’m just half asleep and I was not expecting you to say that.”

“Oh.”

“But why me? Don’t you want to go kiss that woman you have a crush on? I don’t get it.”

JJ sighs, “Emily.”

“What?”

“Stop thinking so hard.”

“What do you mean?” Emily asks, confused.

“It’s you,” JJ says.

“Me?” _What? Is she saying what I think she’s saying?_

“The woman I have a crush on is _you_ . I was talking about _you_.” 

“Oh,” Emily replies. _Oh my god, this is really happening._

“Is that… okay?” JJ asks, worried.

Emily can’t bring herself to speak, so she nods and moves her hand to cup JJ’s face. They stare at each other, both smiling brightly against the dim lighting of the room. 

JJ whispers, “Do I move first or do you move first? I haven’t read the gay manual yet.”

Emily laughs, “I think the protocol is flipping a coin, actually. It’s okay. I’ll go first. Come here.”

JJ leans closer and Emily kisses her, sweet and steady, thumb stroking JJ’s cheek. JJ hums into her mouth. In that moment, all of Emily’s jagged thoughts click back into place. Everything starts to make sense.

When they pull apart, JJ smiles at Emily. Then, out of the blue, JJ asks, “Wait. Have you ever even seen Ratatouille?” 

“Nope,” Emily admits, snuggling into JJ’s shirt. 

JJ kisses the top of Emily’s head. “Clear your schedule, Prentiss, I know what we’re doing tomorrow.”

**Author's Note:**

> tumblr @emotionalpanda  
> twitter @lilcodependy


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